Fabulous Filters in Photoshop

The Photoshop filter collection offers more than just filters to make your photo look like it's painted in watercolors. There are filters to add spotlights and some fun options that don't appear on the menus but are only a click or two away. Helen Bradley tells you all you need to know about filters, including how to apply multiple filters at once, how to find hidden options, and how to change the colors that a filter applies to your images. A bonus is a list of 10 filters you can use today!

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If you think that filters are all about making photos look as if
they’ve been painted with a watercolor brush or drawn by hand,
you’re only half right—Photoshop filters can do much more than
create simple art effects. They come in handy for all sorts of photo-editing
jobs—from giving a subject a makeover to drawing attention to the focal
point of your photo. This article explains how filters work, introduces you to
our 10 favorite filters for working with digital photos, and shows you how to
use them. We’ll also show you how to find, install, and use some of the
many thousands of filters available on the Internet.

Filters To Go

Like most graphics software, Photoshop comes with a range of filters already
installed. These filters, grouped by category, are accessible from the Filters
menu (and some are also accessible from the Filter Gallery). The Filter Gallery
is a one-stop shop for many filters, displaying them in a format that enables
you to try them out without repeatedly opening and closing dialog boxes. You can
also apply multiple filters at once.

Most Photoshop filters require you to be working with 8-bit RGB images. If
you’re working with a 16-bit image, many of the filters will be grayed out
on the Filter menu and inaccessible. To convert an image to 8-bit, choose Image
> Mode and select the 8 Bits Per Channel option. You can now apply the
filter to your image.

Some filters aren’t available if you are working in CMYK color mode;
you must be working in RGB color mode to use them. To convert an image from CMYK
to RGB, choose Image > Mode > RGB Color.